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House Bill 2327 |
House Author: McClendon |
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Effective: Vetoed |
Senate Sponsor: Wentworth |
House Bill 2327 amends the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Transportation to establish and operate a motor-bus-only lane pilot program to allow motor buses of certain mass transit entities to operate on a highway shoulder designated by the department. The bill specifies the conditions under which the motor buses may use the shoulder and includes certain required features of the program, requiring the department to fund implementation of the features and to be reimbursed by participating mass transit entities. The bill authorizes the department to cancel the program if the department finds evidence of a trend of increasing vehicle accidents attributable to the operation of buses under the program.
Reason Given for Veto: "House Bill 2327 would allow transit buses to use highway shoulders to pass traffic backups during peak traffic hours in certain urban counties. Currently, highway shoulders may only be used by motorists to pull out of the main lanes of the roadway in the case of a mechanical malfunction or emergency, and to allow the bypass of traffic by emergency vehicles.
"House Bill 2327 is similar to Senate Bill 434, which I vetoed in 2009. While there are new provisions in this bill that attempt to address concerns, including additional training for bus drivers and a provision allowing the Texas Department of Transportation to suspend the program in some instances, allowing highway shoulders to be used by transit buses would leave no emergency lane, confuse drivers as to the purpose of highway shoulders, and endanger motorists, emergency personnel and transit bus passengers."